Gleaning attachment for corn cleaners



June21, 1955 c. E. HOLTKAMP 2,711,174

GLEANING ATTACHMENT FOR CORN CLEANERS Filed Aug. 24, 1951 s Sheets-Shet 1 INVENTOR Cum/ 527 //a. r/MMP T ATTORNEYS June 21, 1955 E. HOLTKAMP 2,711,174

CLEANING ATTACHMENT FOR CORN CLEANERS Filed Aug. 24, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR C2 ARE/765E664. r/r/wvp ATTORNEYS June 21, 1955 c. HOLTKAMP 2,711,174

GLEANING ATTACHMENT FOR CORN CLEANERS Filed Aug. 24,1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 82 Clams-Nari)? r/mwp 52 XZWW ram 84 ATTORNEYS GLEANING ATTACHMENT FOR CORN CLEANERS Clarence E. Holtkamp, Benton, Ill., assignor to M. L. Campbell, Benton, Ill.

Application August 24, 1951, Serial No. 243,445

1 Claim. (Cl. 130-25) This invention relates to an attachment mountable upon a corn cleaner, said attachment being adapted to supplement the conventional cleaning action of a corn cleaner, through the use of vibratory fingers effective to separate from the husks grains of corn that otherwise would be discharged with the husks as refuse.

Present-day corn cleaners are adapted for the separation of primarily shelled grains from the husks and cobs,

after the whole corn has passed through a corn shelling mechanism.

conventionally, the corn cleaner is provided withan oscillating shoe in which a screening device is embodied, the motion of said shoe being such as to effect the desired separation. The motion of the shoe, in this connection, causes the material to be separated to travel down a series of screens, and during the travel of said.

material along the screens, the grains are separated from the cobs and husks, which continue to one end of the shoe to be discharged as refuse.

The above described separation method was sufficient at the time of the construction of the corn cleaner as now constructed. However, since such time, harvestingmethods have been improved, and mechanical corn pickers are widely used. These do not husk corn in the same manner as was previously done by hand, and the cleaner motion referred to above, as a result, does not operate upon the corn to be separated with the efiiciency which was its characteristic at'the time corn was manually husked. As a result, a substantial amount of the corn is discharged as refuse together with the cobs and husks,

The broad object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for a corn cleaner of the general type stated, novelly designed in a manner to dislodge grains of corn carried in the husks, which heretofore have been.

discharged as refuse, thus to supplement and increase the efliciency of operation of the conventional corn cleaning machine.

Another important object is to provide a deviceof the type stated which will be readily applicable to a corn cleaning machine of conventional construction, without modification of the structure to which the device is to be applied.

Still another important object is to provide a mechanism of the type stated which will be relativelyinexpen Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a typical corn cleaning machine and of a device formed in accordance with the present invention mounted in proper, position upon said machine;

States Patent "ice 2,711,174 Patented June 21, 1955 Figure 2 is a top plan view of the corn cleaning machine illustrated in Figure 1, and of my device;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the corn cleaning machine, illustrated partly in side elevation, and partly in longitudinal section;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in top plan, of the gleaning device alone, portions being broken away;

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view, still further enlarged, taken substantially on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevational View of a modified form of the invention, the vibratory fingers thereof being illustrated fragmentarily; and

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, and illustrating another modified form.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 10 designates generally a corn cleaning machine, having a hopper 12 from which material to be separated is dischargedinto an oscillating shoe 14.

For the purpose of imparting oscillating movement to the shoe 14, a shaft 16, powdered from any suitable source, is provided at its upper end with an eccentric 18,

to which is connected one end of a pitman having a pivotal connection 22 at its other end to the inner end of the oscillating shoe 14. The outer end of the oscillating shoe is pivotally connected, as at 24, to the lower end of a depending support rod 26, that is provided at its upper end with a lateral extension 28 journaled in the frame of the corn cleaning machine 10.

From the above, it may be noted that the oscillating shoe 14 is provided with a front-toback swinging motion, as a result of which the material discharged thereinto is separated, the grains of corn passing into a discharge trough 30 and the cobs and husks being discharged as refuse from the right hand end of the .machine as viewed in Figure 1. The material to be separated, as will be appreciated, passes over a series of screens 32 during the separation action.

Upon a corn cleaner such as that seen in Figure 1, I use the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-5.

, In this form of the device, means is provided for connectingthe attachment at one end to a stationary portion of the corn cleaner, such as the fixed longitudinal frame member 33 thereof. A vertical opening is drilled through the frame member 33 adjacent the discharge end of the machine and extended through said opening is an upstanding stud 34. Nuts 36 are threaded upon the stud at opposite ends thereof, and are threadable against the top and bottom surfaces of the longitudinal frame member 33, so as to anchor the stud fixedly in a selected position'of vertical adjustment relative to said frame member.

The lower end of the stud projects below the frame member 33, and is formed with a ball received in a ball socket 38. A threaded shank 39 is formed integrally with the ball socket, or is made rigid therewith in any suitable manner, and extends in parallelism with and.

below the frame member 33. The shank 39 is aligned coaxially with a link 40, and a turn buckle 42 is employed to connect the shank and link, said shank and link being oppositely threaded for adjustment of the link toward and away from the shank. Another turn buckle 42 is threaded ,upon the other end of the link 40, to connect to said other end of the link a shank 43 rigid with a ball ()5 socket 44. The ball receiving portion of the ball socket 4'4 opens downwardly, to receive a ball 46 formed upon the upper end of a depending, threaded connecting rod 48. provided with longitudinally spaced nuts 50.

The respective nuts 50 engage the outer faces of a pair of clamps 52 having arcuate inner faces, said clamps having aligned openings 44 through which the rod 48 extends. The rod extends through a smooth walled V 4 opening formed in the end portion of an elongated shaft frame member 86 is provided with an opening through 56, having the rod receiving opening 58. which extends a threaded shank 88, that is secured to the The shaft 56 is mounted rotatably upon the shoe 14, frame member 86 by suitable lock nuts, the shank 88 extending transversely thereacross and having its end being integrally formed with an eye 90, receiving a conportions projecting beyond the opposite side walls of 5 necting pin 92, that extends through an eye 94 having a said shoe. The intermediate portion of the shaft, that shank 96, the free end of which is formed with a threaded extends through the shoe, is provided with a series of socket 98.

elongated agitating fingers, that are spaced longitudi- Threaded into the socket 98 is one end of a connectnally of said intermediate portion, and project radially ing link 100, and lock nuts 102 secure the connecting from the shaft. Thus, a plurality of spring fingers 60 is rod in selected positions of longitudinal adjustment relaprovided, each finger having a threaded base 62 extendtive to the shank 96.

ing through a smooth walled opening 64 formed in the The opposite end of the rod 100 is also threaded, and shaft 56, and locked to the shaft by means of nuts 66 is received in the threaded socket of a shank formed threaded upon said base. identically to the shank 96, the second named shank intervening between the several fingers 60 are fingers also beingprovided with an eye. A connecting pin 68. The fingers 68 are formed identically to the fingers extends through said eye, and through the eye of .a 66, but are offset upwardly therefrom to a slight extent, threaded member 104 carrying clamp members 52'enas may be noted from Figure 3. gageable against diametrically opposite portions of the Both the fingers 60 and 68, in the present instance, shaft 56. are progressively widened toward their free ends, and Considering first the operation of the form of the in are fiattened for the greatest part of their lengths. Howvention' illustrated in Figures 1-5, the shoe v14 of the, ever, at this point i believe it should be noted that the corn cleaning machine is one having two motions. The fingers might be of some other configuration, as for exfirst of these is an oscillating motion longitudinally. of ample, of circular cross section. Additionally, I believe the machine, which may be conveniently termed a frontit is possible that the fingers might all be disposed'in a to-back oscillative movement. The second of these moeommon plane, rather than in superposed planes as illustions is a side-to-side motion. trated and described. These changes, it is thought, are When the shoe 14 is given its compound motion, it sutiiciently obvious as not to require special illustration. will carry with it the shaft 56. The front-to-back oscil- 7 To provide for rotatable mounting of the shaft 56 upon lativemovement, in this connection, has the effect of 1 the shoe 14, I secure to the exterior surfaces of the rerotating the shaft partially-in opposite directions, due spective side walls of the shoe bearing retainers 70, each to the linkage of said shaft with a stationary portion of of which is provided with a ball bearing 72 (Figure 4). the machine. At the same time, the universal connec In the forms of the invention illustrated in-Figures 6 tions which said shaft has with the stationary frame and 7, the shaft 56 is mounted rotatably upon the side member of the machine permits the shaft to move from walls of the shoe, and interiorly of the shoe, is provided side to side of the machine with the oscillating shoe. with fingers 6t}, 68, the construction in this respect being The very rapid rotatable movement of the shaft in identical to that of the first form of the invention. Howopposite directions imparts a vibratory action to the ever, in said modified forms of the invention, a different free ends of the fingers 60, 68. The fingers, being dislinkage is employed whereby the shaft is connected to posed for gravitation of the husks and grains thereto,

a stationary part of the corn cleaner frame. For ex- 40 give a dancing movement to the material gravitating ample, in Figure 6 the corn cleaner frame member 61 therethrough, which has the effect of dislodging grains is provided with a mounting plate 63, which is positioned of corn carried within the husks, so as to permit said against the under side of the frame member. The plate grains to drop to the screens 32. The husks, meanwhile, 63, at opposite ends thereof, has longitudinal slots 65, traverse the-fingers longitudinally thereof, and are then through which extend connecting bolts 67, passing discharged to the screens for passage from the oscillating through suitable openings formed in the frame member shoe. r 61. Through the provision of the elongated slots 65, In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure '6,

the plate 63 is adjustable longitudinally of the frame the collar 80 has up and down movement between the member, and can be secured in selected positions of lonbrackets 73,'to allow for up and down motion of the Y gitudinal adjustment. shaft 56'during the oscillating movement of the shoe Formed in the plate 63, inwardly of the lot 65, are from front'to back of the corn cleaning machine. The

other longitudinal slots 69, through which extend councollar 80 also has movement transversely of the brackets V tersunk machine screws 71. The screws 71 serve to 'con- 73, to permit the side-to-side motion of the oscillating nect to the under side of the plate 63 a pair of spaced, shoe. The adjustments illustrated, which are permitted oppositely arranged brackets 73 of inverted L-shape, I! by reason of the slots 65, 69, permit the fingers to be said brackets having openings registrable with the slots raised or lowered as desired, n are 9 effective I 69 for passage therethrough of the screws 71. Nuts are Obtain, p r ti n f the fing rs in a Short or long motion, employed to secure the brackets 73 in selected positions 85 d sil'cdof longitudinal adjustment relative to the plate 63. In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 7,

Formed upon the upper ends of the brackets 73 are the device is usable with corn cleaning machines Ill depending ears 74 engageable by adjusting screws 76, which h r: s only a fr ll -t affik oscillatable movethat are threaded through depending wings 78 formed m n! of he shoe- Th 1mp1e p v l c nnections are upon the plate 63, at locations spaced inwardly from Permitted, father than un1YeT$f1l10lnt5, 331d PIVOtal Q the opposite ends of said plate. Through the provision nections being allowable in vrew of the fact that there of the set screws 76, the brackets 73 can be selectively O5 is no side-to-side movement of the oscillating shoe. adjusted longitudinally of the plate 63, to engage di- In all forms of the invention, the characteristic is ametrically opposite locations upon a collar 80 rotatably present whereby the shaft 56 has partial rotatable move mounted upon the reduced upper end of a connecting ment in opposite drrectrons, relative to the shoe 14 on rod 82 threaded at its lower end to receive lock nuts 84, which it is mounted, this being provided for first by that engage clamps 52 similar to those clamps illus- 10' rotatable mounting ofthe shaft 56 m the side walls trated and described in connection with the. first form of the shoe 14, and second by provrdmg a linkage d1- of the invention. The clamps 52 in the form of Figure rectly between the shaft and a stationary portion :of 6, as will be understood, engage opposite portions of, a the corn cleaning machine. As a result, vlbratory mov eshaft 56 having fingers 60, 68. ment of the fingers 60, 68 obtains in each instance, said In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 7, a 15 movement having the efiect of vibrating the husksat high speed, during passage of the husks longitudinally of said fingers 60, 68.

It is believed clear that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and de scribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor changes in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a device for gleaning grains of corn from refuse material in which grains are lodged, the combination, with the oscillating shoe and stationary frame of a corn gleaning structure, of a shaft mounted for rotation upon said shoe and arranged transversely of the shoe; spring fingers rigidly connected at one end to and projecting radially from the shaft longitudinally of the shoe, said fingers being disposed for gravitation thereto of refuse material to be gleaned and being adapted for high-speed vibratory movement to eifect separation of said grains from the refuse material; and a linkage between the shaft and stationary frame operative to efiect rocking movement of the shaft in opposite directions responsive to the oscillative action of said shoe so as to impart vibratory motion to the fingers, said linkage including a shank fixed at one end to the shaft, and means supported by the stationary frame extending into engagement with the other end of the shank and holding the other end of the shank against movement in the direction of oscillation of the shaft and shoe, said means comprising a plate secured to said frame, spaced brackets connected to and depending from the plate, and a collar rotatably carried adjacent the other end of said shank remote from the shaft and disposed between the brackets, said collar having up and down and side to side movement within the brackets, and said brackets engaging said collar at diametrically opposed locations thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 14,517 Cox Mar. 25, 1856 16,103 Lyndall Nov. 18, 1856 125,513 Allonas Apr. 9, 1872 221,463 Horn Nov. 11, 1879 224,850 Sheldon Feb. 24, 1880 284,675 Rumely Sept. 11, 1883 543,768 Haag July 30, 1895 1,461,144 Hanneman July 10, 1923 

